LOCAL BURGER GETS NATIONAL GRILLING

Mention of his featured fast-food burger by “The Tonight Show’s” Jay Leno came as a surprise to Scott Slater, owner of a tiny three-outlet chain, Slater’s 50/50 Burgers by Design. He and his executive chef, Brad Lyons, both 30-year-old SDSU grads, had no idea their concoction, which began as a dare at a Chargers’ tailgate party, would generate nationwide reaction.

Leno had held up a fast-food box picturing their Merica Burger: 100 percent ground bacon, topped with bacon strips, bacon island dressing, bacon cheddar and an egg. He had pointed to a warning sticker, but said: “If you are eating this, you’re not the kind of person who cares about warnings.”

Slater’s all-bacon “Burger of the Month” for July also has been mentioned by “Good Morning America,” CNBC, ABC, Fox News, The New York Post, New York Daily News, Esquire and several foodie websites. One website, Gawker, quipped: “It’ll only be available during the month of July because, let’s face it, all of Slater’s patrons will be dead by August.”

The Liberty Station eatery will continue offering its other staples, including a burger topped with peanut butter and jelly.

Where’s the money? The county treasurer just publicized a list of funds from fiscal 2012 that are owed to people it can’t locate. Amid the sea of names with money waiting to be claimed is one curious entry: $188 is owed to a company called Fund Finders… Go figure.

Too connected? Newsweek’s “iCrazy” cover story on online connection addiction and how it’s increasingly associated with panic, depression and psychoses focuses on San Diegan Jason Russell.

You may recall the co-founder of the nonprofit group Invisible Children whose web documentary about the brutal African warlord Joseph Kony went viral last March. So did a second video of Russell’s subsequent psychotic breakdown in which he tore off his clothing and ranted incoherently on a Pacific Beach sidewalk. He was diagnosed with “reactive psychosis,” temporary insanity stemming from his sudden entry into the world spotlight. Russell is out of the hospital now but still in recovery, his colleagues told Newsweek.

San Diego scene: Colorful ex-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda ﻿got his pasta fix Thursday at Little Italy’s Po Pazzo. Owner Lisa Busalacchi said the Hall of Famer worked the crowd, singing “Are you Lonesome Tonight?” and signing autographs. Eating has always been a popular pastime for the former “Slim Fast” pitch man, who once said: “When we win, I’m so happy, I eat a lot. When we lose, I’m so depressed, I eat a lot. When we’re rained out, I’m so disappointed, I eat a lot.” He drove back to his home in Fullerton with a trunk full of Italian food.